Box Score A strong first half helped Maryville College to a key USA South victory on Wednesday night, as the Scots held off a second-half Piedmont College rally for a 74-63 win.
Maryville's 19-point lead in the first half fell to just a three-point advantage midway through the second half, but a stout bench effort of 42 points gave MC its second conference victory of the season.
"I'm proud of our toughness on the road," Head Coach Raul Placeres said. "This young group continues to learn and grow. We led from start to finish for the first time this season. We got a lot of guys back from injury, and that helped. Our bench production was key. Let's ride this momentum to next Wednesday."
MC took a 44-27 lead to the locker room at the half, as the Scots blistered the nets throughout the first 20 minutes. The Scots added 11 assists on 17 made field goals, as they deposited eight 3-pointers.
The Scots shot 17-of-31 from the floor for a 54.8 percent effort, eclipsing a 53.3 percent mark from long range. They outrebounded Piedmont, 19-11, as MC turned six offensive boards into nine second-chance points.
Maryville's defense held Piedmont to just 10-of-23 shooting in the first half, including a 28.6 percent effort from three-point range.
Kevin Chong led the way with 10 points in the opening stanza, as Cam Gwyn added nine points off the bench. Gwyn and Chong combined for a 5-of-8 effort from beyond the arc, as J.R. Sanders added a pair of his own.
In the second half, Maryville managed just eight field goals, while most of their damage came at the charity stripe. The Scots went 12-of-17 from the free-throw line in the second half, while the Lions struggled with an 8-of-17 effort for the game.
The Scots ended the game on a 9-2 run over the final five minutes to secure the conference win.
Maryville College (3-11, 2-5 USA South) was paced by Chong, as he finished the game as the only starter in double figures. The freshman tallied 16 points to go with six rebounds, an assists, a block and a steal. Gwyn added 13 points off the bench with his four treys, while Brice Martin added 12 points in just 14 minutes off the bench. He had six rebounds, while shooting 4-of-7 from the floor.
Sanders added 11 points with four assists, three rebounds and a steal, while Joshua Brooks added a game high six assists. Brooks had four points and three rebounds, while Felix Uadiale added seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Kordell Kah had six points off the bench, while Dalton Coleman added five points. Donovan Jackson added a pair of assists and rebounds on the night.
MC shot 25-of-57 for a 43.9-percent effort. They went 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) from beyond the arc, while adding a 70-percent effort (14-of-20) from the free-throw line.
Piedmont College (7-8, 2-6) shot 44.4 percent from the floor with a 24-of-54 performance. The added seven treys on the day.
Jordan Foote led the way with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Miles Riley added 15 points. Justin Quick tallied 11 points on the night for the Lions.
Maryville will take a week off before hosting Berea College in Boydson Baird Gymnasium on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
